The Five: Part I: A Rising Darkness
by J.E. Max
Summary: When a band of six misfit darksiders suddenly learn that an ancient Jedi prophecy is threatening to destroy them, they do everything in their power to keep that from happening.


**J.E. MAX**

**The Five**

**J.E. MAX**

**THE FIVE**

**Part****I: A RISING DARKNESS**

_For Becky, Caty, Elise, and Lauren-_

_the best friends in the galaxy._

Table of Contents

1. A Rising Darkness

2. Leave It to Percy

3. Obi-Wan Kenobi

4. The Unvanquished Truth

5. The Carbon Freeze

6. Let the Werewolves Go

7. Percy Mason versus Obi-Wan Kenobi

8. Long-Awaited Freedom

9. Survival of the Fittest

10. Birth and Rebirth

11. The Mark of Jeriko Matthews

12. A foolish Man's Plan

13. Waylay

14. A New Beginning

**58 – 57 BBY**

Prologue

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Even the Jedi Knights are caught by surprise, their attentions focused on the political unrest in the Republic. Now the dark side threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy…

Chapter 1:

A rising darkness

It was 1:45 A.M. on a dark, stormy night in the year 58 BBY. Jeriko Matthews, a feared Sith assassin, lay snoring on his bunk bed in his underground bunker on the planet of Geonosis. "No… no…" he mumbled. He was having a ridiculously insane nightmare. But it wasn't about him; it was about Lucius McCook, the man snoring on the bunk above his.

He could see it perfectly; it was some green and grassy planet. Lucius seemed to be in some Jedi alias that Jeriko didn't recognize. He walked over to a strange hovel and remained completely silent. The man who opened the door recognized Lucius immediately. He was tall so to speak, with auburn hair and vibrant bluish-green eyes that sparkled in the faint glow of the moonlight. He had a bit of a goatee, and his hair was parted in a way. He began to tell Lucius some things that sounded insane. Lucius just nodded quietly, not a single word escaping his mouth.

The man's wife came out behind him. She was younger than the man and older than Lucius, yet she was beautiful. Lucius just stood there with his mouth agape like an idiot. A wind rustled through and dramatically blew Lucius's hair aside. He and the man's wife were right in front of each other. It was a little hard for Lucius to tell, but she looked like she was pregnant.

Lucius just stood there, and without thinking, kissed her. When she and Lucius touched, he came crashing to the floor and lay dead with his eyes wide open. A bit of blue electricity jumped and sparked from his body. Suddenly, Jeriko felt as if the dream was materializing...

Jeriko jolted awake and sat up in bed. He frantically looked about, his blue eyes scanning the room nervously. He shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? It was just a dumb nightmare, he told himself. But deep down, he knew it was more than just a nightmare.

He slowly reached into his pillow case and pulled out a rusty, silver key. Being careful not to awaken the other four men asleep in the room, he reached out and unlocked a drawer on his nightstand. He pulled a thin, black sketch book and a pencil out of the drawer. He sluggishly got out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom.

Once inside, he locked the door and trudged over to the sink. He put the book and the pencil down and began to splash his face with cool water. He looked back at himself in the fogged-up, cracked mirror. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and his mop of dirty blonde hair was wild and messy. He was a "hulking menace", as Elmont, their power-crazy, mentally unstable leader, called him. It was true, though, and he knew it well, as he stood almost seven feet above the ground.

Jeriko was easily the most powerful member of their little team. He was also the most gifted with magic, and obviously showed a preference for dark wizardry. All five of them - Jeriko Matthews, Lucius McCook, Percy Mason, Nikos Tomlinson, and Alejandro Daniels - had been born dark wizards and werewolves. It was only recently that they had fallen to the darkside of the Force.

Jeriko enjoyed being a werewolf. When wolfed up, he was not a smelly, flea-ridden mongrel; he was a majestic creature of the dark night. Another thing on the plus side was that werewolves aged _much_ slower than normal humans. Jeriko must have been one hundred and seventy standard years, but looked only seventeen.

Jeriko found his life to be probably one of the most messed up out there. While why he had chosen to live with only five other men in an underground bunker for years was a mystery. Yet the biggest mystery, he found, was how he hadn't gone completely mental.

The only reason they were forced to live like this was because of the Jedi, the age-old mortal enemies of the Sith. In the time of Jeriko Matthews, tens of thousands of Jedi knights spent every waking moment of their lives carrying on one seemingly impossible struggle: peace and justice all throughout the galaxy.

The animosity between the Jedi and the Sith was something that had been present for ages. But, for all the Jedi knew, a long series of wars between the two societies was what had supposedly wiped the Sith out.

All except one.

That one Sith went on to breed a long, powerful lineage that had ended with Elmont, and now Elmont had five apprentices of his own.

They had been hiding on Geonosis for what felt like centuries, and they all knew very well that they would have to stay lurking in their own shadows until the time was right for them to reveal themselves and make their move.

Jeriko wiped his face dry and picked up the pencil. He opened the book and began to sketch every single part of the dream that still lingered in the corners of his mind. His hand shook as it flew across the page. _'Is this really going to happen, or is it just a figment of my imagination?' _he wondered.

Jeriko didn't want to think about the prospects of Lucius's death. It was an awful thing to think about really, but he just couldn't get it out of his head. But then it hit him like a brick wall: Lucius was the smartest of all of them. An intellectual. A man who always thought before he did, even if the impending situation was something beyond stupid. Lucius will be fine, he told himself. He knew that Lucius was much smarter than that. But then, Jeriko's new-found confidence in Lucius faded just as fast as it had come. For a smart man, Lucius often did really dumb things.

Chapter 2:

Leave it to Percy

At around eight a.m. the next morning, Percy Mason, the earliest riser of the group, got out of bed, threw on his bathrobe, and walked over to the bathroom to take a shower. He tried to pry the door open, but it was locked. He went back to his bed and pulled his holly wand out from under his pillow. "_Aloha Morra!"_ he whispered, and the door popped open. "Bloody Hell!" he exclaimed sharply. "What in blazes happened here?!"

The sink was overflowing, like a waterfall over the counter. At the bottom of this waterfall was not a river or even a stream, but a soaking wet Jeriko Matthews asleep on the floor with what Percy recognized to be a written mission record book. Percy tiptoed over to Jeriko and snatched the book off his face. He studied the drawings closely. "What the heck is this?" he wondered aloud. He made sure Jeriko was asleep and then took off with the book before Jeriko could wake up and kill him for looking at the drawings.

Percy ran out to a hallway. "Elmont! Elmont!" he howled. Elmont poked his scarred, pale face out of a room. "Percius! Shut your damn mouth, will you?!" he shouted. His yelling was followed by a cough attack.

Elmont looked like a dead corpse walking. He was really only nineteen or twenty, but he looked about two hundred years old. He had been in a _bad _accident a couple of years before. The young, handsome Sith had been riding a swoop over a land mine field on his native Bandomeer. The land mine had been said to be inactive, but either way, Elmont didn't care. Soon after he had started flying over it, the unexpected happened: the land mine exploded. Elmont's legs were completely blown off of his body, as was his left arm. The explosion seriously damaged his vocal chords and lungs, so every time he spoke, he spoke with a rasp, and yelling was usually followed by a cough attack. His skin had been burnt badly; it was a ghastly shade of white. The only thing that remained was his short auburn hair. He couldn't stand without his pair of crutches, which he used as a lethal weapon against his apprentices.

"I am sorry to wake you, sir, but I thought that you should see this right now," Percy said, lowering his voice.

"What is it, Percius?!" Elmont growled. Percy could smell booze on his breath.

"This," Percy said, shoving the book in Elmont's face. He ripped the book out of Percy's hand and intently studied the sketches.

"And these were made by Jeriko?" Elmont questioned. Percy nodded.

"What could they possibly mean?" Percy continued.

"Percius! Quit drowning me in questions!" Elmont commanded. "Sorry, sir," he said, going red in the face. Elmont studied the drawings still.

"Percy, I have come to a conclusion," Elmont declared.

"Allow me to ask you a question, Percius. And not knowing the answer is not something to be ashamed of."

Percy remained quiet. He wasn't too sure where Elmont was going with this.

"Percius, do you know what is possible when the Force is _nearly_ balanced and the planets are aligned?"

"Well, no, sir. Prophecies are more in Nikos's department."

"It is then and only then that it is possible for the Chosen One, the long-awaited Jedi Force balance-bringer, to be conceived."

Percy's eyes widened.

"So you think Jeriko is seeing this first because he is something like the Chosen One's hell-made match?" Percy inquired.

"Yes. That is a strong possibility," Elmont said.

"But how do we know for sure?"

"Go deep into the Force, Percy. Search your feelings."

Percy made a face. Elmont shut the book and thrust it back at him.

"Just keep your eyes on the planets, laddy."

Percy sat at his computer. That computer was Percy's pride and joy, the only thing that actually made him _happy_ in the messed up world he was living in. It was through computers that he made his largest contribution to the team. He could hack or pirate most anything, and could research something in a flash. Not to mention that he knew the access code to most of the machines in the galaxy.

Percy opened up a star map and studied the drawings.

"Hmm… let's see… green and grassy. That could be Ragoon VI, Naboo, Endor, Skus, Stewjon, Telos… ugh! The possibilities are endless!"

Jeriko walked out of the bathroom and saw Percy with the book.

"Where did you get that?!" he roared.

"I…I saw the drawings," Percy said, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"They were nice, I guess…creepy, but nice…"

Jeriko looked like he was going to rip Percy's head off.

"I…I showed them to Elmont…he interpreted it as the conception of the Chosen One…so naturally I am checking the planet alignment…"

Jeriko's face softened.

"The Chosen One? What have you found?"

"The planets are aligned… actually, they've been aligned for about three months now."

"Do you have a location?"

"I think so. I believe it's somewhere in the Stewjon terrestrial system."

Jeriko cocked his head.

"Here," Percy said, enlarging a three-dimensional image of a green planet on the star map.

"It's twelve parsecs north of the Rishi Maze. Within _Republic_ borders."

Jeriko's face went a ghastly white. He wondered if it was a sign that the dream would come true.

"Good job, Percy," he said nervously. "Keep it up."

Within a few hours, Percy had notified Elmont that he was 99.99% sure that this Chosen One thing was occurring to a couple on Stewjon. Oddly enough, the man was an ex-Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi. As if trying to attempt the fates, Elmont sent Jeriko and Lucius to obtain information on the subject. Jeriko had not yet told Lucius about the dream, but intended to do so on the trip to Stewjon.

On the trip there, Jeriko finally built up enough nerve to tell Lucius about the dream. But he realized that if he had to do it again, he probably would have just stayed shut up.

"What do you _mean_ if I kiss the girl I die?!"

"I… I don't know… I think it's because you touched the Chosen One…"

"So this…this…_girl_ that I'm not supposed to kiss is the Chosen One?!"

"Not _her,_ I think it's her kid. Or maybe the dude gets jealous and strikes you dead."

"Oh, _sure_. Because that makes _complete_ sense. I mean, _really_! Do you even _hear_ yourself?!"

Jeriko was silenced by what Lucius said.

"Just be careful," he muttered.

They landed on the planet about ten minutes later. Lucius used a spell to disguise himself as a Jedi recruiter and popped a blue tooth into his ear.

"It's much more efficient than a comlink," Jeriko said. "We can talk and talk all we want and this Obi-whatever-his-name-is dude will never even know."

An awkward silence fell over the two of them then. Jeriko just stared down at his feet, and Lucius looked around nervously, refusing to make eye contact with Jeriko.

"So you promise not to kiss the girl?" Jeriko asked, breaking the silence. "Whatever. Sure," Lucius said, rolling his eyes.

"No matter _how_ gorgeous she is?"

"I already told you that I'm not gonna kiss her."

"Well, in that case, let's get the hell out of here."

Jeriko and Lucius walked off of the ship and into the dark clearing of grassy land that they had landed in. The area was almost completely locked in by forests, but the clearing extended out thousands of feet. Lucius and Jeriko could see what looked like light from a house in the distance.

"That," Jeriko said, pointing to the speck of light, "is where you're headed." The two men exchanged passing glances.

"May the Force be with you," Jeriko said quietly.

"Same to you."

The two men shook hands and walked off in opposite directions, with Lucius walking towards the square pinprick of light, and Jeriko wandering off aimlessly into the woods.

Chapter 3:

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Lucius walked over to the house, his heart beating harder than a drum. He stood in front of the door, shaking from both fear and the cold.

"Jeriko," he said, talking into the blue tooth, "are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I am tall."

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere where I can see you, but you can't see me."

Jeriko was deep within the forest, lying on the muddy floor, peering over a log and into a pair of night vision binoculars.

"I can see you perfectly. Don't worry," he said.

"Okay. I trust you," Lucius said.

Lucius took a deep breath and pounded on the door.

A tall, extremely handsome man with glittering blue eyes stepped out of the house. He was wearing a dark blue bathrobe, thick, black pants, and a pair of dirty, red slippers.

"Nico Collieslan?" he asked, his voice accented and mellifluous.

"Uh… yeah… hi. You're…" Lucius squinted down at the words written on his hands. "Obby-Wayne Kenobby, right?"

"Nico, it's 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'," he said.

"Whoops. Sorry. It's just that we haven't seen each other since you left the order, you know…shame that was," Lucius said, nervously wringing his hands.

"I know what you're here for," Obi-Wan said.

"You do?"

"Yes."

"I doubt that."

"This is something I believe should be discussed with a _closed_ door. I don't want Satine or Owen to hear it."

Lucius had no idea who Owen was, but he just assumed that Satine was the girl he wasn't supposed to kiss.

"I assume you've been feeling the disturbances," Obi-Wan pressed on.

Lucius nodded.

"Now, I am just going to come out and say what we are both thinking: the newest addition to my family is going to be the Chosen One."

"Wow. Way to hit the nail on the head," Lucius said. "But you wanna know something? It's not that surprising, with you being the father and all. You had a pretty high midi-chlorian count yourself."

"But still, I never thought that I would end up the _father of the Chosen One_. That's a pretty big deal. And that brings me to the next thing: once it is born, it will be left in the Order's custody, but until then, I am concerned about the safety of my wife."

"You shouldn't be. As you know, the Sith have been extinct for thousands of years now," Lucius lied. His blue tooth buzzed.

"Excellent, Lucius. Keep it going the exact way you started," Jeriko hissed.

"Yes, but still, I feel that is no longer true. I feel that some things have been left unsaid there," Obi-Wan said. Lucius was beginning to get annoyed.

"Obi!" a woman yelled from inside. "Where are you?"

Obi-Wan put a finger over his lips to signal to Lucius to be quiet.

"I am outside!" he hollered back.

A beautiful woman opened the door. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing out. You'll catch a cold," she said to him.

Lucius's eyes grew enormous. Before, he had been offended and even a little spooked that Jeriko thought he would kiss a random girl, but now that theory of Jeriko's was beginning to make a whole lot of sense. He just stared at her, truly awestricken by her sheer beauty.

"Obi, who is this?" she asked slowly, trying not to show that she was thinking the same thoughts as Lucius.

"Lucius!" Jeriko hissed. "Be strong! Don't do it!" Lucius completely ignored his counterpart.

"This, my dear, is Nico Collieslan. He is an old friend of mine from the Jedi Order. Nico, this is my wife, Satine." She walked towards Lucius, and they stood facing each other, staring at each other as if they had both seen ghosts.

Jeriko screamed frantically on the other end of the blue tooth.

"Lucius McCook, you put your wolfman lips on that woman's, and you'll be sorry!" But his efforts were futile, as Lucius kept ignoring him.

"Damn it! This is _just _like the dream!" Jeriko shouted. He finally decided to just shut his mouth. He watched nervously through the binoculars, praying that Lucius would make the right choice.

Obi-Wan was shocked by what he saw happening.

"Satine!" he whined.

But she paid her husband no mind. The two of them closed their eyes and leaned inward, sharing the prophesized kiss. Jeriko screamed his friend's name, and Obi-Wan whined incessantly in jealousy. Just as they touched, there was the sound of an electrical spark, and Lucius fell dead to the floor, his eyes wide open.

Jeriko screamed in agony, and then let out a psychopathic growl.

"That stupid Jedi thinks he can kill my partner just for kissing his wife?! Oh, he hasn't seen _nothing _yet!"

Jeriko hurdled the log and sprinted wildly through the forest and toward the house, his anger and hatred pushing him faster than he had ever run. His feet pounded furiously on the spongy forest floor as he streaked through the dense forest like a bullet.

Satine jumped from the shock of killing Nico. She almost fell backwards, but Obi-Wan caught her.

"Obi, I'm so sorry… I don't know what got into me," she said, looking up into his eyes.

"That's alright," he said, seeing a black figure charging towards him. "Because it looks like 'Nico' wasn't really Nico, and whoever it was is _not_ alone."

Jeriko skidded to a halt in front of Obi-Wan. He prowled in front of him and gave him an intimidating stare down.

"Move aside, Satine. Let me handle this," Obi-Wan said boldly.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi…the Jedi who threw everything away for love…ugh."

Obi-Wan said nothing, remaining braced for the attack.

Jeriko thrust his hands up and Sith lightening flew from his fingers. Much to his surprise, Obi-Wan caught the lightning in one hand and held it in the form of a Force kinectite. He was able to withstand the mounting pressure that built up as Jeriko shot lightening at him. Obi-Wan let the kinectite grow huge, and then thrust it at Jeriko like a pitcher throwing a softball. Jeriko merely threw his hand out and cast the kinectite to the side. The kinectite hit a tree and blew the tree down.

"Your powers are weak, you fat old man," Jeriko taunted. Obi-Wan held his ground and made a weird sighing noise. Jeriko leaped into the air and tackled Obi-Wan. The two of them went sliding in the dirt as Jeriko began brutally Force-choking him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Jeriko screamed, referring to a now dead Lucius. Obi-Wan tried to say 'nothing', but Jeriko was strangling the life out of him. He was trying to get the giant madman off of him, but his efforts were futile, as Jeriko had him on the brink of death.

He turned his head to the side slightly and saw his wife in hysterics. Through his blurred vision, he tried to catch a last glimpse of Satine. He reached his hand out, as if to try and touch her. He tried his very hardest to say the words 'I love you', but couldn't even open his mouth. Satine looked at him again, launching herself into a whole new level of hysterics.

Obi-Wan knew he was on his final moments as soon as Jeriko growled the words, "Revenge, at last!". But then, Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of what would save his life: Jeriko's wand sticking out of his boot. Using the Force, he called it to his hand and used the sharp end to stab Jeriko in the back with it, digging it deep into him, allowing love to consume him as he did.

Jeriko leaped off of him with a yelp and a cuss word. He pulled the bloody wand out of his back, and out came a white, ghost-looking thing.

Jeriko soon found himself floating three feet off the ground. An invisible force was throwing him around and thrashing him as he screamed horribly. The white thing, his soul, was being ripped from his very body and getting sucked into the end of the wand. Satine watched, utterly confused. Obi-Wan lifted his head about an inch off the ground to see what was happening, but was even more confused than his wife.

The white thing had now stopped coming out of Jeriko's body, and then there was an enormous explosion and flash of red light that sent Jeriko flying across the clearing. He slid in the dirt and lay motionless next to Lucius.

The wand, with Jeriko's soul still sparking on the end, had flown in Satine's direction. She knew she shouldn't have touched it, but in the end, she let her curiosity get the best of her. She reached out and touched it. There was then an even _bigger_ explosion and another huge flash of light. She fell back on the floor butt-first.

She felt a slight pain at that moment that was proceeded by an immense pain. But it vanished just as quickly as it came, and she stood up, still a little dazed. A boy of about ten years stepped out of the house. Looking at the three men on the floor, he gasped.

"What the heck was that flash of light? And what in the world is wrong with Poppa?!"

"Owen, relax. Your father is fine," she told him. "Who are they?" Owen asked, pointing to Jeriko and Lucius.

"Bad men, Owen. I'm not sure what the smaller one's intentions were, but I know the bigger one is not exactly the best guy. He tried to kill your father."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. Some _Force_ related thing, I think. They were throwing lightening."

"Don't talk about the Force like that. You know Poppa hates it when you do."

"Owen."

"Are they dead?" Owen asked, trying to get out of a good scolding.

"The smaller one is, but I'm not too sure about the bigger one. Check for me," she said, handing her son the wand.

He studied it.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, Owen. Just stab him in the side with the sharp part."

Owen hesitantly walked over to Jeriko, looking from man to wand several times. He closed his eyes, turned his head away, and stuck the sharp end in Jeriko's side. He waited for some sort of reaction, but got nothing. He turned back to his mother.

"Dead," he said softly.

"What are we going to do with the bodies?" he asked, stepping away from Jeriko.

Satine thought for a moment.

"Let's throw the smaller one in the bushes."

"And the big guy?"

"Perhaps the millpond."

"Do you think Poppa could help us?"

"No, Owen. You and I have to do this on our own. Your poor father can barely even open his eyes."

"Are you sure that you can lift heavy stuff?"

"Owen, don't become your father. I can do things for myself."

"But Poppa said that you shouldn't lift heavy stuff!"

"Owen, I'm not going to tell you again! Now help me get rid of the bodies!"

Satine closed Lucius's eyes, and then the two of them each grabbed their own side of him. They struggled to get him off of the ground, but eventually made their way over to the bushes and threw Lucius into them.

"Now, the bigger one," Satine sighed.

Owen pulled Jeriko's boots off and Satine removed his shirt. After several tries, they were finally able to lift Jeriko up.

"Whoa! He's super heavy!" Owen complained.

"Owen, do you expect a man with a six pack and arms that are like metal rods to weigh ten pounds?!"

They backtracked into the woods and shuffled over to a clearing with a small pond in the center.

"Throw him…now!" Satine told Owen.

Jeriko went flying out of their hands and into the dirty millpond. Satine and Owen watched the water turn red.

"Why's it turning red?" the boy asked.

"The bottom's filled with rock spires. I wouldn't be surprised if a disembodied hand popped out of the water," she said with disgust.

"Shouldn't we say a few words on his behalf?"

"Uh…he was a good bad man…and uh…may he forever rest in peace."

"What killed him?"

"Owen! Stop with all the questions!"

"But I want to know!"

"I don't know what killed him, Owen. But whatever it was needed to be pretty bad to kill a man like _that_."

They returned back to their house.

"Owen, help me take your father inside."

"_More_ lifting? Can't Poppa just _walk_ inside?"

"Owen, he can't even open his eyes! How do you expect him to walk inside?!"

They each grabbed one end of him and carried him into the room where he and his wife slept. The two of them pulled the bed sheets back and dropped him on the bed, sighing exasperatedly.

"Owen, I need you to get a few things for me."

"What do you need?"

"Bring me a bowl of cold water, two towels, bandages, and some of that oil stuff from Bandomeer."

"Uh…okay."

He darted out of the room. Satine sat down next to her unconscious husband, gently stroking his hair and kissing his forehead.

"What did those bad men do to you?" she whispered, as if she expected him to answer.

Owen came back into the room, holding the things Satine had requested he bring.

"Thank you, Owen. Now, go back to bed. You'll see him in the morning."

"But what about you?"

"Owen, I can survive without your father driving me absolutely crazy."

"But Poppa says-"

"Owen, forget about what your father says! I'll be fine! Good night!"

She slammed the door shut.

"I'm going to lose my mind if the next one turns out like him."

She walked back over to Obi-Wan and put the things Owen had brought on a nightstand. Satine dunked one of the towels in the water and then placed it on Obi-Wan's forehead. She dipped the other towel in the oil and rubbed it on his cut hands and swollen throat. After rubbing the oil on his hands, she bandaged the cuts that had been caused by him gripping the sharp end of Jeriko's wand.

Back in the forest, another explosion shook the ground near the millpond: a third of Jeriko's soul had returned to his body. The bloody, cut-up, half-alive wolfman pulled himself out of the pond and onto the riverbank. He limped off into the forest, leaving a trail of blood and water behind him.

He snapped the wand jutting out of his side and threw the piece on the floor. He soon reached an opening in the forest with nothing but a tree stump in the center. On the stump lay a triangular-shaped locket with a line running through it and a crimson stone in the middle- this was the thing that contained the second third of Jeriko's soul. Ironically, the locket looked like the peculiar scar on Jeriko's right arm.

He dragged himself over to it and picked it up, smiling a twisted smile. Not only did it contain the second third of his soul, but the locket also contained a secret and hard-to-activate power: giving the wearer immortality.

Jeriko knew exactly how to release the power. He gripped the locket tightly in his cut hands and then chucked it skyward. A _huge_ beam of white light shot out of the stone in the center of the amulet. When the locket came back down, Jeriko put it around his neck. His body and odd scar began to glow, and then another explosion shook the forest. The second piece had reentered to his body. He could now think again.

He took off towards the house. When he saw that Lucius was not where he had been before, he began to search the surrounding bushes. Not long after he began searching, he found Lucius's body in the bushes. He dragged him all the way back to the ship and up the ramp.

He bent down next to Lucius and put the amulet on his chest. The stone began to glow, and Lucius's arm moved slightly. Jeriko stuffed the necklace into his pocket. Lucius slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

"What just happened?" Lucius asked. He looked up at Jeriko and his heart skipped a beat.

"What happened to _you_?!"

Jeriko looked at him, but said nothing.

"Was it something I said?"

Jeriko ignored him and walked over to his seat. Lucius followed him.

"Seriously, why are you so…like, bloody?"

Jeriko remained quiet and just stared out at the dark emptiness of outer space in front of them.

When they got back to the base, they entered their bunker. The other three men were asleep. At the sound of the door opening, Percy woke up and looked at them.

"Bloody hell! What happened to you?!" he asked, pointing to Jeriko. Jeriko said nothing and just threw himself into his bed.

"Is that his wand?" Percy questioned, pointing to the splinter in his side. "A piece of it," Lucius said.

Jeriko lay in his bed, running his fingers around the locket. He decided to keep this a secret. _He_ barely knew what had happened, so how would _they_ ever figure it out? He just wouldn't say _anything_. After all, no one needed to know. No one. _No one_.

Chapter 4:

The Unvanquished Truth

The next four months passed like minutes for all except Jeriko, who had gone mentally insane ever since the little "accident". He refused to speak with anyone, and remained particularly angry with Lucius. Anyone who tried to go near him or talk to him would end up with a black eye or broken lip. And if someone even said the words "Obi" or "Wan", it was lights out for them.

The others were all too busy to pay him any mind in the beginning, but after a while it began driving them nuts.

"I can't take this anymore!" Percy shouted. "What could _possibly_ be driving him mad?"

"I'm not sure," Alejandro Daniels said softly.

"And why's he so mad at me?" Lucius butted in.

Alejandro shrugged.

"Perhaps we should go see the philosopher."

The three of them walked into the Archive Room. A young man was seated at a table in the center of the room, hunched over an enormous book.

"Let's see…the alchemist symbol for fire is-"

"Nikos Tomlinson!"

Nikos sat up, seeming alarmed.

"Yes?"

"We need help of the philosophical type," Percy said.

"Well, what can I help you with today?"

"We're trying to figure out what's wrong with Jeriko."

Nikos cocked his head. "Well, we're gonna need a distracter. The last thing we want is angry Jeriko."

"I'll do it," Alejandro volunteered boldly.

Nikos nodded, and Alejandro took off.

"Does he realize how stupid that was?" Lucius asked.

Nikos shook his head.

"So, back to what you were saying before."

"Yeah. Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?"

"Well, let me start by asking Lucius. What did he look like?"

"He was really bloody… and he had this scar on his arm that looked like the Deathly Hallows."

Nikos flipped a page in his notebook and began to write.

"And he had this chain-thingy sticking out of his pocket."

"Don't forget about the wand!"

"Oh, yeah, Nikos, he had half of his wand sticking out of his side."

Nikos scribbled madly.

"Okay, so scar, chain, and wand. Percy, do you mind handing me the wand?"

"With pleasure," Percy said, handing Nikos the piece of the wand.

"Hmm…it's possible," Nikos said, almost to himself. Nikos studied the wand closely and rubbed his chin pensively. He put the wand fraction down and scribbled madly again.

"This thing didn't just _snap_," he said. "It's a phoenix wand. Those things are second only to the Elder Wand. Do you _really_ expect me to believe that a Jedi who hasn't worked out in twenty years, a ten-year-old, or a woman could break this thing?"

"I mean, maybe _Jeriko_ could, but it would have to have been loosened by something like an explosion," Percy said.

"Explosions! That's _genius_, Percy!"

Nikos scribbled madly yet again.

"Guys, I think I'm on to something," Nikos announced.

"What?" they asked eagerly.

Nikos leaned in closely. "Guys…Jeriko and Obi-Wan created a…a…"

"A _what_, Nikos?! Spit it out already!"

"A _Horcrux_…"

Lucius and Percy looked at each other.

"How is this possible? Obi-Wan's a _muggle_, he can't cast spells!"

"_That_ is where philosophy comes in. Think. What's one thing that Obi-Wan has and Jeriko doesn't?"

"Gray hair?"

"A gut?"

"No. _Love_."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"Think of it like this: Jeriko attacked him. He knows what we know: his kid's the Chosen One. He must have thought Jeriko was after his _baby_, not revenge."

"I _still _don't know what you're saying."

"Jeriko doesn't know love. He is like a weapon forged from the darkest fires of the underworld; like the devil's living blade, sharpened by anger and hatred, slashing through all that's good and innocent. The contact of pure love and pure hatred at a level that intense must have reversed the natural balance of things, therefore allowing a muggle to cast a spell. Not realizing that it happened, he must have sucked Jeriko's soul out. And that contact thingy is probably what killed you, Lucius."

"But where did the other piece go?" Lucius asked.

"I'm afraid to say the truth."

"Just say it."

"I believe that the other piece of Jeriko's soul is in Mr. Kenobi's young. And that's the truth. The whole truth. The _unvanquished_ truth," Nikos said.

"But how will we know for sure?"

"When it's born, I guess."

"Wait," Percy said. "Don't you mean _if _it's born? My father, perhaps one of the greatest dark wizards of his time, taught me that being born Horcrux is physically impossible."

"Percy, I think what he meant was that the person being born Horcrux would die. And the pain of it would kill the person giving birth to them."

"You're saying this as if it's a bad thing."

"Yeah. If the Chosen One dies, Jeriko, their Horcrux, dies too."

"But then doesn't that mean that if Jeriko tries to kill the Chosen One that he would die?"

"No. He can kill them and survive. But there's a catch. The two souls have to be at a perfect fifty-fifty balance. If Jeriko kills them then- with the death hex, because it only works with the death hex- he can survive and get that piece of his soul back."

"But what if the Chosen One dies before then?"

"Then there's only one way around that."

Alejandro walked into the bunker and over to Jeriko's bed.

"Hey Jeriko- good news. Elmont is sending me off on a dispatch to get revenge on O… sorry. He-who-must-not-be-named."

"Why not me?" Jeriko grumbled, making no eye contact.

"How am I supposed to know that? Elmont's mind is dark, scary place…a place that I have little to no interest in knowing about. Hey…what's that thing?"

Jeriko looked down at what his friend was pointing to.

"Oh…that…it's a Hor-"

"Can I show it to Nikos?"

"Uh…sure…"

"But how do we _know_ it's a Horcrux?" Lucius pressed on.

"The scar is enough evidence in itself, and so is the insanity. Horcrux makers who actually survive the creation _have_ been known to go insane."

Alejandro burst through the door.

"Nikos," he said, holding up a silver necklace with a Deathly Hallows pendant on it. "I don't know what it is, but what I _do_ know is that this is not from the world of the _living_."

Nikos's eyes grew enormous. He reached out to grab it, his hand quivering.

"You remember when I said that there was only one way around early death? Well, this is it!"

"It's just a stupid locket!"

"That's where you're wrong. This necklace has _necromancing_ powers. You die wearing this, and you automatically come back to life, every time."

"So this just guarantees it's a Horcrux."

They all nodded.

"Well, I'd better get going. Elmont's sending me off on a dispatch. Wish me luck," Alejandro said.

The three of them look at each other.

"ELMONT!"

"What're we gonna do? Elmont _hates_ magic!" Nikos shouted.

"If Elmont finds out that a third of Jeriko's soul is in the Chosen One, he'll flip out! And trust me, that's _not_ as funny as you think it is," Percy said.

"Who's gonna tell him?" Lucius asked.

"It's gonna have to be someone he likes and will listen to. You don't want Elmont hearing it from me or Ale," Nikos said.

Nikos and Lucius both turned and looked at Percy with the same creepy smiles on their faces.

"Oh no," Percy mumbled.

"You're the only one he'll listen to."

"Fine."

Percy walked into a room and found Elmont inside of a really thin box, trying to pull something out of it. His butt and robotic legs were the only things not in the box.

"Um, Elmont…I was wondering if you-" Percy began.

"Knew what was wrong with Jeriko?" he asked, his pale head still shoved in the box.

"Uh…yeah."

"Well, I can't help you there, laddy. It's something crazy."

"It's not as if it's _witchcraft_," Percy said, trying a lie on Elmont. Elmont stopped moving in the box.

"Witchcraft," he whispered.

"But it is," Elmont said darkly. "A dark and evil _magic_."

Percy gulped. He was seriously thinking about making a run for it. Elmont tried to pull himself out of the box to further question Percy, but he couldn't get out.

"Percius! Percius, pull me out of the box! PERCIUS!"

Percy slowly backed out the door and away from the man in the box, leaving a shouting Elmont to his own devices.

Chapter 5:

The Carbon Freeze

Alejandro Daniels shuffled through the forests of Stewjon. He had been following a trail of blood that he was almost positive had been made by Jeriko. Along the way, he found the other half of Jeriko's wand.

He followed the red trail until it led him into a clearing with a pond in the center. Ale poked his head around a tree and saw a pair of brown boots lying on the bank. He hadn't seen a person standing there, but he decided to remain hidden, just to stay safe.

He pulled himself up on a tree branch and continued to climb upward, slowly and quietly scaling the tree. He sat high up, perched on a branch and watching the pond like a bird stalking its prey.

He saw ripples, and then bubbles, and then a head and finally a man's entire upper body. _'That has to be him,'_ Alejandro thought. _'Looks like Elmont, just like they said.' _

"No sign of the body," Obi-Wan said, pulling himself onto the bank.

"Watch your back, Kenobi," Ale grumbled. "Because this Sith is showing up uninvited." Alejandro inched to the end of the branch, trying to time his descent perfectly.

_'Wait for it…wait for it...now!' _The word exploded in his mind like a starting gun. Alejandro let go of the branch and freefell down. He landed perfectly on his feet, like a cat.

Obi-Wan, who was sopping wet, turned in alarm and stared back at Alejandro. Ale's normally brown eyes shifted into a reddish-yellow color, as they did when he was feeling strong anger or hatred. Currently, he was feeling both.

Red eyes blazing, Ale threw a punch at Obi-Wan and hit him in the jaw, knocking two of his teeth out. Ale kept throwing punch after punch, never ceasing fire for one minute. Obi-Wan screamed every time Alejandro hit him, and Ale couldn't get enough of it. Alejandro tried to kick him, but Obi-Wan dodged the kick. Not giving Kenobi a chance to get on the offensive, Ale back flipped out of Obi-Wan's reach.

"Master Kenobi, you disappoint me," Ale teased. "Yoda held you in such high esteem."

"Your faith in the darkside is misplaced," Obi-Wan said, a scintilla of fear in his voice. He lunged at Alejandro and grabbed him by the shirt collar. Ale kicked Obi-Wan in the stomach, and it was enough to knock his wet foe down.

"Let's finish you, once and for all," Alejandro said. He used the Force on a nearby tree; the tree floated above Obi-Wan as Ale taunted him.

"This is your last chance! Surrender or die!" Ale shouted. Obi-Wan lay shivering on the floor.

"I'll never surrender to the darkside," he moaned.

A pearly, evil smile creased Alejandro's lips.

"Then die, Jedi, die!" Ale yelled as he slowly lowered the tree and began to back away from Obi-Wan. When he was about to drop the tree on Obi-Wan, he tripped over a tree root and lost his footing, falling backwards and hitting his head on a rock.

The tree fell right on top of Obi-Wan's legs. Obi-Wan screamed at a frequency that could have shattered glass. He lay on the floor with hot tears of pain and agony streaming down his face. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Alejandro. He wasn't sure if Ale was dead or unconscious, but he just went with the more believable option and assumed Ale was still alive. Obi-Wan, drowsy and dehydrated, lay bleeding in the hot sun, wondering how in the world he would get out of this situation.

Alejandro Daniels slowly opened his eyes and looked up, nearly having a heart attack. Two _Jedi Knights_ were staring back down at him. When he looked around, he almost had a second heart attack: he was in the _Jedi Council chambers_.

Alejandro leaped to his feet and frantically looked around for a door or some other way out.

"Grab him, Zhokar!" the older Jedi shouted. The younger Jedi, who looked to be in his early twenties, grabbed Alejandro with an iron grip.

"Just stand still and you won't get hurt," Zhokar said nervously.

Alejandro looked at him with a face of unadulterated disgust. Ale's eyes shifted to the older Jedi. The man was tall, almost about as tall as Jeriko. He had long, flowing brown hair that fell past his broad shoulders. Ale assumed he was Zhokar's master.

The eyes of the Council all seemed to look from Alejandro to the older Jedi all at the same time.

"This is the man," the older Jedi said.

"Sure of this, you are, Master Qui-Gon?" the wizened old alien named Yoda asked.

"This is the man who attacked Obi-Wan."

Qui-Gon and all of the Council members turned to look at Ale.

"What is your name?" the stone-faced Mace Windu asked Alejandro, who had now escaped Zhokar's iron grip. The two Jedi backed away from Ale, who now stood alone in the center of the room with all the Council members staring at him.

"I said, what is your name?" Master Windu repeated impatiently. Ale tried thinking of a name that was not his own.

"Um…Silas…uh…Xantos…"

"Silas Xantos, is it true that you attacked and nearly _killed _one of our former members?"

Ale still said nothing, despite the fact that he knew the Council was becoming impatient.

"No," he said finally.

Yoda's sleepy eyes fell on Ale once again. He felt a chill go down his spine as Yoda studied him.

"See through you, we can."

Ale said nothing.

"Silas Xantos," Mace Windu said. "Because of your criminal actions, you have been sentenced to death by carbon freeze."

Ale's face lost all color.

"No…no! This is a mistake! This is clearly a mistake! You have the wrong man!"

"Grab him!" Qui-Gon commanded. The two Jedi swooped back in and took a hold of Ale once again.

"Take him to City in the Clouds and leave him in the custody of our allied troops. There he will await our arrival and his metallic grave."

"Let me _go_!" Ale shouted at them.

"Take him away," Mace Windu commanded. The two Jedi dragged Ale away and onward to his metallic grave.

Percy burst through the bunker door.

"Jeriko!" he shouted. "Ale's about to get _carbon-frozen_!"

Nikos and Lucius turned and looked at Percy in alarm. "We have to help him!" they both shouted.

"Ale will be fine," Jeriko grumbled from his bed. "No one ever really dies in those carbon-freeze things. The deaths are just stupid fish tales."

"Well, Jeriko, you and Lucius both have to go. Elmont's orders."

"Fine."

"And Jeriko, by the way, we all know you made a Horcrux."

"Whatever."

Jeriko and Lucius both grabbed their wands and flashed out to City in the Clouds.

Alejandro Daniels, guarded by four Cloud City troops, walked into the room that contained the carbon freeze. The room was dark, with only two or three overhead lights. Little goblin-like men sat at the control panels around the chamber.

The Jedi Council and Obi-Wan had already arrived. Ale was shocked and disappointed to see him alive, but was relieved to see that he at least had a broken leg. The guards stopped Ale right in front of the chamber.

"Prepare the chamber!" one guard yelled. At that exact moment, the doors of the room opened. Three more guards hurried in.

"Excuse me, master Jedi, we found these men wandering the city and thought them to be accomplices of Xantos. They were armed only with lightsabers."

Ale turned to look at the men the guards had brought with them. Just as he had figured, it was Jeriko and Lucius.

"What are you doing here?" Ale said, a bit too loudly.

"Xantos, do you know them?"

"Actually, I do. Will you please excuse me for a second?"

Ale walked over to them.

"What is going on?" he asked.

"Well, _I_ was minding my own business until we decided to come and _rescue_ you," Jeriko said, giving Lucius a nasty look.

Ale looked at his hands manacled behind his back.

"Good job," he said sarcastically.

Two guards swept in and dragged Alejandro away. They stood him right in front of the chamber. One guard unlocked Ale's handcuffs and the other tore his shirt off. Ale took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform. He looked at Jeriko and Lucius.

"May the Force be with you," he sighed.

One of the goblin-men pressed a button and Ale shot down into the chamber, disappearing in a cloud of gas. The odd little men scurried around pushing buttons and pulling levers. A giant metal claw descended from the ceiling and reached down into the chamber, pulling out a steel box with electric buttons on the side. Ale lay wedged between the two pieces of sheet metal with a look of pure terror on his face.

Jeriko and Lucius looked at each other nervously. Jeriko saw the Council talking amongst themselves and pointing to them, so he knew that they were in huge trouble. "Reload the Chamber," Mace Windu ordered.

Jeriko and Lucius's hearts both skipped beats.

Two guards grabbed Jeriko and dragged him over to where Alejandro had been standing before. They unlocked his handcuffs and removed his shirt. Jeriko reached into his pocket and gripped the locket tightly. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the platform.

"Send him down!" one guard yelled.

"WAIT!"Obi-Wan shouted, pushing himself through the horde of people with one of his crutches. He hobbled over to one of the guards.

"They have done nothing wrong! Imprison them if you must, but just don't kill them!"

"Is this what you wish, Master Jedi?" one guard asked. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Very well, then. Process them, corporal. Take them to camp twenty-seven."

"Yes, admiral."

Three of the guards dragged Jeriko and Lucius off to a detention cell, none of them knowing what a colossal mistake they had just made.

Chapter 6:

Let the Werewolves Go

The guards threw Jeriko and Lucius into a tiny, cramped detention cell. They shut the door and opened the little peep hole.

"Nighty night, ladies!" one guard growled.

Jeriko and Lucius looked at each other.

"How long are we stuck here for?" Lucius asked. "Ten years," Jeriko sighed.

"Ten years of this and I'll lose my mind. There _has_ to be another way out."

"Bail money is the only other way out. But you and I both know that Elmont doesn't have even a quarter of what it costs to set two prisoners free," Jeriko said, lying down on a bed attached to the wall.

"Can't he just borrow money from the bank or something?"

"Those people that offer grants would never trust a guy like Elmont. He's actually scarier on the inside than he is on the outside, if possible."

"Do you think that would matter?"

"Lucius, the Bureau of Grants is a bunch of rich snobs. They'd never give Elmont money to free prisoners. In fact, I think all they'd do is either laugh him out of the building or alert the Jedi that some freaky and suspicious cripple dude is trying to free prisoners."

"Well, looks like we're stuck here for a while."

"Yeah."

Jeriko yawned.

"Good night, Lucius. See you when I wake up from this terrible nightmare."

Two months passed since their imprisonment. One evening, when they least expected it, a guard came and told Jeriko and Lucius that they were being freed early because someone had paid off the bail.

They followed the guard out to a landing deck where their E-31 series _Headhunter_ was parked. A man, who really looked more like a boy, was sitting on the ramp waiting for them. The guard nodded and walked off.

"Nikos! You paid off the bail money?"

"Yeah. And once again, you two burned another large hole in my wallet. You owe me for saving your skins for the tenth time."

"_Ninth_ time," Lucius corrected. "That stuff on Telos doesn't count."

"Where's Percy?" Jeriko asked.

"He and Elmont went on a dispatch to get Kenobi real good."

"What day is it?" Lucius asked randomly.

"I believe today is the thirty-first of March," Nikos said.

"What about Ale's body?"

"I had to pay a pretty price for that, too."

"I hate to interrupt," Jeriko said, "but what was this about Kenobi?"

"They're getting him real good. As in, they're finally getting rid of him."

"When?"

"Now, I think. But seriously, let's split. This place gives me serious creepo vibes."

Jeriko and Lucius followed their young friend into the ship. The weird thing was, there was one common wire running through all three of their heads: Obi-Wan.

Chapter 7:

Percy Mason versus Obi-Wan Kenobi

Percy Mason walked up a hill right outside the forests of Stewjon. As he walked up the hill, he looked around and pointed his lantern in shadowy areas to make sure he wasn't being followed.

When Percy reached the top of the hill, he sat amongst the darkness, looking out on the cliff. He blew out his lantern so that it wouldn't kill the mood he was trying to set.

'_When I look down on everything,'_ he thought, _'I feel like I'm king of all I survey.' _

Percy continued to think, his mind wandering from ruling the world all the way back to Obi-Wan Kenobi. As if on cue, Percy heard what sounded like branches breaking under a person's foot. He did not stand up or even move; instead, he just waited in waylay.

Soon enough, he could sense an unwanted presence behind him. He turned around, and there stood Obi-Wan Kenobi, with no cast or crutches of any kind. Percy stood up, calmly staring Obi-Wan down. His hand flew up almost automatically, and sparks of blue lightening surged from his fingertips. To Percy's surprise and dismay, Obi-Wan pulled out a _lightsaber_ and deflected the sparks back at Percy. Percy stopped throwing lightening.

"All too easy," Percy teased.

Angry and frustrated, Obi-Wan lunged at Percy and tackled him. The two of them went rolling on the floor and off of the side of the cliff. Obi-Wan, who was on top, ripped his saber out _again _and stabbed Percy in the arm, dragging the saber down Percy's body.

Percy screamed louder than he ever had, his blood pouring out of his body and flying upward onto Obi-Wan's face. The two freefell down for what seemed like years, with the wind howling in their ears and green blurs passing them by. By now, Obi-Wan had nearly cut Percy in half, and the pain had reached a level beyond Percy's worst nightmare.

The two of them finally hit the floor. Obi-Wan jumped off of Percy immediately, only to notice that Percy Mason was dead. Obi-Wan retracted his blade and looked down at Percy, biting his lower lip. He threw his saber on the ground and cursed loudly, which was strange, as Obi-Wan seldom cursed.

"I swore, never again!" he shouted, nearly in tears. "I swore I'd never use that infernal contraption again!"

He stepped on it angrily, reducing it to about a million pieces. Obi-Wan shuffled into the forest with his face covered by his hand, crying openly.

Chapter 8:

Long-awaited Freedom

Jeriko, Lucius, and Nikos stood crowded around the chunk of metal that contained Alejandro Daniels. They had it propped up against the wall, getting ready to free Alejandro from his metal prison.

"You guys ready?" Lucius asked. The others nodded.

"Here goes nothing!" Nikos shouted.

He closed his eyes and shot the chunk of metal with a blaster. The metal around Alejandro began to glow red, and the metal began melting away. His body fell from the wall and landed right in front of them. Jeriko reached into his pocket and pulled the locket out. He slapped it on Ale's chest, and the stone began to glow.

Alejandro sat up, his body dripping wet.

"I can't see," he moaned.

"It's hibernation sickness. Your vision will return soon," Nikos said.

"But how…how am I alive? The locket?"

Jeriko nodded.

"Where's Percy?"

"He and Elmont are supposed to be 'getting Kenobi real good.' Whatever that's supposed to mean. And speaking of which, I'm surprised they're not back yet. I mean _really, _how long does it take to annihilate a guy?"

They all looked at each other.

"That _cannot_ be good," Lucius said.

"Any volunteers to check?" Jeriko asked.

"Well, Jeriko and I just got out of jail, and Ale literally just got out of a real bad carbon-freeze, so Nikos is up."

"Go, Nikos," Jeriko said. Nikos picked up his wand.

"Where to?"

"Stewjon."

Nikos sighed and flashed out.

Chapter 9:

Survival of the Fittest

Nikos Tomlinson flashed into Stewjon. He walked along dark streets lined with oddly-shaped houses. There was no light, or only barely so. He glanced down at his wrist watch. It was almost ten o`clock. He was running out of time.

As Nikos continued to wander the dark streets, he spotted a bright, electric-blue speeder parked in front of one of the houses. He looked around nervously. There wasn't another living soul in sight.

"I don't think anybody's gonna mind," he said, hopping into the driver's seat. He reached to the side and opened up the power cable box. He connected the two green wires and then two red ones with two blue ones. Several sparks flew from the box, and the engine roared alive. Nikos shut the box, stepped on the gas, and shot down the street towards the forest.

Obi-Wan Kenobi walked through the forest and over to his house, trying to dry his tears. Owen opened the front door, looking really nervous.

"Poppa…you need to come inside right now…"

"What's the problem, Owen?"

"I think she's having the baby!"

"Okay…uh…stay right here. Don't move until I come back."

"But I want to come with you!"

"Owen, it's _birth_, you don't want to come with me."

Obi-Wan slipped into the house.

"OWEN!" Satine yelled. "It's me, Satine," he shouted back.

Obi-Wan sprinted into their room.

"Everything is okay. I'm here now."

He walked over to the bed and knelt down next to his wife. Satine was sweating and breathing extremely hard.

"Obi-Wan…please take me to a medical facility," she said weakly, not seeming to care at all that his face and hair were bright red with Percy's blood.

"Are you sure you can make it?" he asked quietly.

"Obi-Wan…_please_…"

"Okay…okay…wait right here for just a second."

He darted into the bathroom and washed all the Percy blood off of his face and hair. He changed his shirt and quickly ran back to her.

"I will be right back."

Nikos Tomlinson flew down the streets of Stewjon. Houses had now become scarce; he was nearing the edge of both civilization and the forest.

Nikos shot past a house with two people standing outside of it.

"Hey!" one man yelled. Nikos screeched to a halt and looked back at him.

"You! Can you take me to the medical facility?"

"Sorry, dude, but no can do. I'm no airtaxi. I've got stuff to do."

"Please, sir!"

"No!"

"Sir, my wife is having a baby and I _will_ pay you!"

Nikos thought for a moment.

"Get in," he said through gritted teeth.

Obi-Wan sprinted inside and came out carrying Satine. He stopped in front of Owen.

"Run to your friend's house. I don't care which friend, just _go_. We'll contact you when we get back."

He hurried over to the speeder and placed his wife down on the back seat. Obi-Wan jumped into the passenger seat, hurrying to put on his seatbelt.

"What's your name?" Nikos asked.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now _drive_!"

"I've heard _a lot _about you," Nikos said as he began to push buttons and pull levers.

"For the last time, just _drive_!"

Nikos stepped on the gas and shot the speeder skyward. They soared above dark streets for a while, and then began to fly over the jamb-packed airways of the city.

Nikos shot them downward at a ninety-degree angle, laughing to himself the whole way down. Obi-Wan gripped the side of the speeder for dear life.

"Pull up. Pull up. Pull up. Sir, pull up!" he yelled, looking like he was about to barf.

Nikos locked his eyes on the ground. When they were about one hundred feet above the ground, they screeched to a halt. Obi-Wan looked at Nikos angrily.

"Do you even _know _how to fly?"

As if to answer that question, Nikos shot them back skyward.

"This isn't flying, this is suicide!" Obi-Wan yelled.

Nikos tried to hang a left, but the controls were frozen. He tried to loosen it, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, crap," Nikos grumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"The controls are stuck!"

"You _idiot_!"

"I can fix it! Take the wheel!" Nikos shouted as he hopped from his seat to the hood of the speeder. Nikos almost immediately lost his footing and fell off the side. Obi-Wan watched him fall.

"What an idiot."

Nikos caught a hold of the end of a speeder, clinging to it for dear life. He tried to pull himself up onto it, but his hands were slipping off the edge. Nikos lost his grip and fell downward again, this time landing on the trunk of a speeder. He hooked his hands on the speeder's interior and lied down on the trunk. The driver turned around and thought he was a hitchhiker.

The driver twisted the speeder sharply, leaning to the left and then the right, trying to throw Nikos off. The speeder jerked to the right again, causing Nikos to lose his grip and go flying off the side.

He fell down yet again, this time landing face-first on a speeder trunk. Nikos ignored the pain and grabbed the sides of the speeder. When the driver saw him, he started cussing Nikos out in Mandolorian. Nikos ignored the rude driver and scanned the airways for the blue speeder. Much to his dismay, it was nowhere to be seen. He needed a faster alternative than speeder- jumping. Looking up, he spotted a probe soaring above him.

_'That will do just fine,' _he thought.

Nikos Force-jumped up and flew into the air, taking a hold of the probe's sides. The probe shot through the dark sky like a bullet, with the wind howling in Nikos's ears and the blurs of city lights blinding him. He didn't dare look down; he just held on to the sides as tightly as he could, his entire body dangling in the air.

Nikos's hands were beginning to sweat, and his grip was gradually loosening. His hands began slipping, and eventually he just let go. Nikos screamed for help, but his screams were drowned out by the sounds of the airways.

Nikos fell into the passenger seat of a speeder, his face shoved into the seat.

"Have a nice run?" a familiar voice asked.

Nikos poked his head up and saw Obi-Wan sitting next to him.

"I have never been so happy to see a Jedi in my life," Nikos said.

"The controls are back!" Obi-Wan shouted over the roar of the air. "All you needed to do was reverse the thrusters!"

"Move over and let _me _fly!"

Nikos and Obi-Wan switched positions.

"OBI-WAN!" Satine yelled.

Nikos and Obi-Wan exchanged terrified looks.

"Go faster!" Obi-Wan yelled, his voice cracking. Nikos stomped the gas pedal into the ground and the speeder lurched forward like a rocket.

"Are we almost there?!" Nikos screamed.

"Up ahead!" Obi-Wan shouted, pointing to a narrow tunnel that would take them out of the city. Nikos sped through it, praying that Satine would make it. They shot out of the tunnel and glided onto a landing port in front of a small, square building.

The speeder jerked to a halt.

"Pay up, Kenobi," Nikos said impatiently. Obi-Wan reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather sack.

"It's all I have currently. It should be about fifty credits."

Nikos snatched the sack out of his hand and nodded in approval.

"This is a medical facility?" Nikos asked.

"It's actually a settlement. The medical facility is just a small part of it."

Nikos watched him get out of the speeder and try to pick his wife up.

"A little help would be nice," Obi-Wan grunted.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that."

Nikos helped the man pick his wife up. While he was lifting her up, his hand slipped and accidently touched her stomach. He felt the hand tense up, and then the freezing began to move up his body.

"Oh no," Nikos whispered. "Yeah, just…just go on inside…uh, goodbye," Nikos said, waving the unfrozen hand. When he dropped the hand back down, it began to freeze, too, and his legs were beginning to tense up. He jumped backwards into the speeder, and shortly thereafter, Nikos Tomlinson lay petrified on the backseat of a speeder.

Chapter 10:

Birth and Rebirth

Elmont dragged himself out of the bushes where he had been hiding. He limped over to the dead body of one of his five apprentices: Percy Mason. He put his hand on Percy's forehead and then pressed his ear against Percy's chest. He heard no heartbeat.

Elmont did not waste time grieving the loss of his favored apprentice. Instead, he hatched a plan. _'Take him to Coruscant,'_ he thought. _'They'll do the same thing to him that they did to me. They will rebuild him. Give him a new body. If Jeriko can bring people back to life, so can they.' _

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood leaning against a wall, looking at his wife lying down on a bed. Meddroids hurried around the room, looking at things on computers and checking holographic images on the wall. Obi-Wan watched nervously, wondering what was happening.

Elmont Coven carried Percy Mason across the landing deck of a medical facility on Coruscant. Percy and Elmont were both soaked from the rain, and the torrential downpour was beginning to slow the diminutive Sith lord down.

Once they were inside, Percy was laid down on a table-like bed in the center of the dark room. Elmont stood off to the side, watching through the folds of his black cloak. The droids replaced Percy's legs with bionic ones and then strapped them to the bed. They also replaced Percy's right arm with a prosthetic. _'So this is what they did to me,'_ Elmont thought.

A droid with several arms moved closer to Percy and cut a hole in his chest. The droid opened the hole up a bit more with its long, sharp arms. It slowly and carefully replaced Percy's lungs with bionic ones. Connected to the bionic lungs was a flat, metallic panel with a few buttons on it. The droid placed the panel over the hole in Percy's chest and burned it onto his skin with a blowtorch.

A black, rectangular oxygen tank was lowered over Percy's head. One droid pried Percy's mouth open and shoved the mouthpiece into it. After they closed his mouth, the mouthpiece began spraying oxygen into his body.

A meddroid slowly came up to Obi-Wan.

"Medically, your wife is completely healthy. But for reasons unknown to us, we are losing her."

Obi-Wan's face lost all color. "There has to be _something_ you can do to save her!" he shouted, already in tears.

"I'm sorry, sir, but at this point, all you can do is hope for the best."

Obi-Wan walked over to Satine with tears streaming down his cheeks. He knelt down next to her. She reached her hand up and wiped Obi-Wan's tears away.

"Obi…everything will be…fine," she said, reaching up again and stroking his hair.

"Satine…" he choked out. "I'm so sorry…"

"Obi…really…I'm fine…"

"I'm just…just _nervous_, Satine."

"Obi…I promise you…nothing is wrong…"

Satine's face twisted in pain.

"Obi…Obi-Wan!" she shouted. He quieted her down a bit. "Save your energy," he said softly.

"I can't…"

"Don't give up, Satine."

She sighed deeply. The sigh turned into a pained yell. "OBI-WAN!"

One of the droids handed Obi-Wan a blue blanket. He spread it out across his arms as his wife began screaming and crying from the pain. It was perhaps the most disturbing sound he had ever heard.

A waterfall of blood streamed out of his wife, and then a little wet blob squirted out, wriggling spastically and _covered _in blood. The droid picked up the tiny, crying blob of blood and put it down in Obi-Wan's arms. He wrapped it up in the blanket and rocked it to sleep.

The bed Percy was on slowly moved up so that he was no longer lying down horizontally. Elmont had his fingers crossed that this would work.

One of the droids reached out and pressed a button on the panel. The buttons began lighting up and blinking, and Percy's breathing was amplified. His eyes popped open.

Elmont stepped out of the darkness.

"Darth Tyranus… can you hear me?"

"Yes, my master."

Alejandro Daniels, Lucius McCook, and Jeriko Matthews all jolted awake.

"Did you just feel that _insane _disturbance?!" Lucius asked loudly.

"Yes!" Alejandro shouted.

Lucius was surprised that Jeriko hadn't said anything, so he looked down to see if anything was bothering him.

"Uh…Jeriko, you _might_ not want to look at your arm," he said nervously.

"What are you-"

Jeriko gasped. _His scar was glowing._

"Uh, guys, I think that the Chosen One slash my Horcrux was just born."

Chapter 11:

The Mark of Jeriko Matthews

Obi-Wan Kenobi knelt down next to his wife.

"See?" she said weakly. "I'm fine."

He nodded.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Satine."

"Could I see the baby?"

"Of course," he said, handing his wife the little blue blanket bundle.

"He's a lot smaller than I expected. He weighs only five pounds."

She looked down at her new son, who was now peacefully asleep in her arms.

"Obi, he's beautiful. He looks just like you," she said, smiling at Obi-Wan.

He _did_ look like his father. His entire head was covered in thick tufts of auburn hair, just like Obi-Wan. He had light skin and rosy cheeks like his father, too.

"And he's completely healthy? No problems at all?" Satine asked.

"Not that they've told me."

"Are they going to clean him up? He's still covered in blood."

"I don't know. But in the meantime, I think we should start thinking of a name for him. I like Malak…and Elan is nice, too. I also like Niall…yes. Niall. I believe our little boy's name should be Niall," Obi-Wan said, reaching down and stroking his son's hair.

"Obi-Wan."

"Yes?"

"No. Not you. I mean, that should be his name. I want to name him after you."

Obi-Wan smiled.

"Then his name will be Obi-Wan. But can his middle name at least be Niall?"

"Obi-Wan Niall Kenobi…not exactly what I had in mind. How about Obi-Wan…I don't know…Malak Kenobi?"

"Obi-Wan Malak Kenobi…I like that a lot," he said, smiling again.

"Then that will be his name."

The two of them looked down at their son. Obi-Wan reached out and gently touched his son's face. Satine bent down and kissed his bloody forehead.

"He's just the cutest thing," Obi-Wan said.

"Don't let Owen hear you say that. He'll be jealous."

"Yes, he's going to be _very_ jealous of his little brother because he'll be getting all the attention. But hopefully he will be mature about it."

"Obi, what's this?" Satine asked, pointing to a scar on the little boy's right arm.

"What's _what_?"

"This."

He studied the scar closely.

"A triangle with a line running through it and a circle in the middle- I have no idea. But that _cannot_ be natural."

Obi-Wan stood against a wall, watching his wife and son sleep. He, too, was tired, but there was something bothering him that just didn't let him sleep. He had no idea what it was, but he just couldn't get himself to relax.

As if on cue, a medical droid came up to him.

"Sir, we believe your son is a Force-sensitive. The test results showed over 20,000 midi-chlorians. That seems a little hard to believe, so we've sent the results to the Jedi temple for a follow-up."

Obi-Wan nodded. _'That's what's been bothering me,' _he thought. _'I'm afraid to give my son up.' _

The bunker door swung open.

"Nikos?" Ale asked. But it wasn't Nikos. It was Percy.

"Oh. It's you. No sign of Nikos?" Lucius asked.

"Whoa!" Jeriko shouted. "What the hell happened to you? Get hit by a bus or something?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi happened," Percy said irritably, pulling the oxygen tank over his head.

"What is that?" Alejandro asked.

"It's an oxygen tank. I had to put it on so that I could get an oxygen flow in my body."

"So now you're basically Elmont 2.0?"

"Pretty much. Just no crutches, rasp, or bad cough. Or paper-white skin, for that matter."

"Speaking of which, where _is _the little cripple dude?"

"Supposedly: sleeping. More likely: chugging down seven glasses of booze."

"Uh…no comment."

"So what's this about Nikos?"

"We sent him off to find you, but he hasn't come back yet."

"By any chance, do you know if he had any Miniature Investigative Bionic Units on him?" Percy asked.

"How would we know that?!"

Percy walked over to the computer and began pushing several buttons.

"Wait a minute…yes! Droids EM-101 and EM-102 are online! Now, let's see just what exactly Mr. Tomlinson is up to."

The screen fuzzed up.

"Whoops. Wrong button."

Percy pressed a small, blue button, and then what looked like the inside of a speeder popped up on the screen. Percy flipped the camera view around.

"Nikos is _petrified_?!" they all shouted.

"He probably touched her," Jeriko said. "It's all a part of that controversy thing he was jabbering about."

"Where the heck is he?"

Percy moved the little droid out of the speeder, and it began to crawl on the landing port.

"It looks like some sort of settlement. Of, you know,_ outlanders_."

The little droid crawled into the building and scuttled around the metal corridors.

"So, uh, Perce…the, uh, Chose One-"

"Was born. I know. It's all Elmont was talking about on the return trip. The disturbances this. The disturbances that. Ugh."

Percy turned the droid into a room with an open door.

"What are you doing?" Ale asked.

"I don't know. Just poking my nose into other people's business," Percy said with a shrug.

The droid hurried past a pair of large brown boots.

"Whoa! Is that who I think it is?! Perce, go back for a second!"

Percy pivoted the robot around.

"It is! It's-"

"My attacker!" Percy shouted.

"Obi-Wan!"

Percy turned to the others. "If he's there, that means his kid should be there, too. If you want to confirm the suspicions, I can take a sample."

The others nodded.

"Run it through Perce."

Percy pushed several other buttons, and the droid moved forward again. It crawled up the wall and into the little box where the infant was sleeping.

"Hmm…the Chosen One looks like Elmont," Lucius said. The others exploded with raucous laughter.

"I'm dead serious! He does!"

"We're not questioning that. We just think it's funny that you pointed it out. And don't let him hear that, or else you'll get bashed with a crutch. And believe me, it hurts. Just ask Nikos."

They exploded with laughter again.

"But seriously, what's its name? Is it a boy or a girl?" Percy asked after they stopped dying of laughter.

Jeriko looked at the screen closely.

"I think it's a boy," he said.

"But what about the name?"

Percy moved the camera angle down and read a tag on the box.

"Obi-Wan Malak Kenobi. Wow. _So_ creative. Time born: 10:36 P.M., 3/31."

"Perce, take the sample."

"I don't want to wake him up, though!"

"Just do it!"

"Okay! Fine! I'm going!"

Percy pushed a slough of buttons. A sharp, needle-like arm reached down and poked the little boy's arm. Percy left the needle in a little too long, and soon enough, the boy began wailing as loud as possible. Obi-Wan hurried over to his son and picked him up, trying to quiet the boy down.

"I think I left it in a _little_ too long," Percy said sheepishly.

"You think, Percius?!" Lucius snapped.

"Ugh, you sound like Elmont," Jeriko complained.

"Just run it through already!" Ale shouted.

Percy pressed more buttons.

"Wait a minute…"

The computer buzzed and beeped. He leaned inward and looked at the screen closely.

"That's strange…the readings are off the charts! Over _20,000_ midi-chlorians! Not even _Yoda_ has a midi-chlorian count _that _high!"

"So, suspicions confirmed, then?"

"I guess so. Ale, tell Elmont for me, will you?"

"You do it! He'll just whack _me_ with a crutch!"

"Ale, just go! I've had enough of Elmont for one night! And will somebody _please_ flash Nikos out?!"

Chapter 12:

A Foolish Man's Plan

A month passed since the birth of the Chosen One. Things had cooled down a bit for the five of them, and they were becoming a bit bored with their lives. They missed the excitement of missions and rescues.

It was around that time that Jeriko learned a Jedi recruiter by the name of Liam Skywalker was scheduled to take Obi-Wan to Coruscant for his training. When Elmont heard, he was outraged. In fact, he was so mad that he beat Nikos with a crutch until he _bled._ For some reason, he thought this was all _their_ fault. He forbade them from 'messing things up any further'. But as any fool knows, once Jeriko Matthews got an idea, there was no stopping him.

He thought his idea to be brilliant. The boy wouldn't get recruited, Elmont wouldn't know that they meddled, and the prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled. In retrospect, _nothing_ could go wrong.

On the night scheduled, Jeriko gathered the other four men. He set up a table in the center of the room and killed the lights. They all sat down around the table as he placed a lantern in the middle. He explained his plan in the most detailed way possible, but he left the most important part out on purpose. After doing so, he pulled out a grid paper and began separating it into several squares. He labeled each of them 'sectors 1-7'.

"Alright. I've assigned each of you a sector. Lucius, you'll be right outside a window, most likely seeing the whole thing for yourself. Nikos and I will be sitting up in parallel trees playing lookout. Percy, you'll be on the left side wall. Ale, you will be on the right side wall. You and Percy are going to set up the sound system so that everything can be distributed to our blue tooths. You are all to keep your comlinks on the entire time, okay?"

They all nodded.

"Another thing: everyone bring a tape recorder. If you see anything suspicious, anything at _all_, just say it all into the recorder."

"What about Elmont?"

"I've got that covered. We just stuff pillows under our blankets and leave the lights off to make it look like we're sleeping. He falls for _anything_. Trust me."

After pillow-stuffing and a change of clothing, all five of them were ready to flash out. Percy gathered up the sound equipment and distributed the blue tooths.

"Okay, guys," Jeriko said. "Let's try to flash out at the same time for once."

Each man picked his wand up, and in a flash of light, was gone.

HiS Hishhhhhhuuuu

Chapter 13:

Waylay

In a beam of light, the five men flashed into Stewjon.

"Okay. It's go time," Nikos said.

They scattered quickly through the area. Nikos and Jeriko ran to parallel trees and scaled them in a frenzied rush; once they found branches with optimal height that could support their weight, they sat down and pulled a pair of night vision goggles over their heads.

"Red leader and red two are in position," Nikos said into the comlink. The other three ran to their designated sides of the house. Alejandro put a headset on and held a satellite dish close to the wall.

"We're rolling sound!" he shouted. Each man could then hear Obi-Wan's voice through their blue tooths. Ale kicked up the volume, and then they could hear everything going on inside.

Nikos saw the shadow of a Jedi flagship in the distance. The red ship landed some few minutes later. "Jedi flagship at three o`clock," he whispered into the comlink.

"Copy that."

A figure descended the ramp and slowly made its way towards the house. They were coming close to Percy, so he took evasive maneuvers. He dove into some bushes to avoid being seen. Percy hit the ground with a loud thud and brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. He stayed absolutely still. He had a feeling that someone was watching him. What he _didn't _know was that it was Jeriko that was watching him.

Percy spoke into the tape recorder.

"This mission is _insane_. It makes _no _sense at all. To make it worse, I'm stuck lying in a ditch. It's like an old-fashioned stake-out: hours of mind-numbing boredom followed by three and a half seconds of pure suspense."

He shut it off and continued to stare off into the icy-cold, soul-sucking, never-ending darkness of space.

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat on his couch gingerly sipping coffee by the fire, having no idea how different his life would be in a matter of hours. He heard a knock on the door and got up to answer it.

He opened the door, and to his surprise, there stood a Jedi recruiter.

"Liam Skywalker?"

Liam nodded.

"Liam! It's a pleasure to see you again, dear boy!"

Obi-Wan held his hand out for Liam to shake, but instead Liam bowed to him.

"The pleasure is all mine, Master Kenobi," Liam said, a crooked half-smile spreading across his face.

"You've grown, Liam. The last time we saw each other, you were still a padawan to Master Vos!"

"Well, yes, ten years do change a man. And speaking of which, I think you've gained a little bit of weight," Liam laughed, slapping Obi-Wan's protruding stomach with the back of his hand.

"For your information, Liam, in the past two months, I lost three pounds," Obi-Wan said, sucking in his gut.

"Pull up your shirt. I think I found them."

Obi-Wan shook his head and took a chance to take Liam's appearance in. He was tall and lanky, wearing a black tunic that was a little too big on him. His brown hair just barely covered his eyes, and his smooth, boyish face suggested an immaturity that he had long since shed. Something about Liam's attitude seemed different. He just seemed sad.

"What's wrong, Liam? You look like something is bothering you."

"Uh…it's…it's … doing this job just tears me up sometimes. I feel like I'm doing something awful."

"You're here for the boy, aren't you?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to change the subject so that he wouldn't further upset Liam. Liam nodded.

"Come, Liam. You should sit inside instead of waiting out in the cold. Besides, convincing my wife may take a while."

Liam followed him in and sat down on a couch. Owen walked into the room.

"Poppa, who's that?" he asked.

"You didn't tell me you had other kids," Liam said quietly.

"Whoa! Are you a Jedi knight?!" the boy asked. Liam smiled his weird smile and nodded.

"Yes, Owen. And he's here on official Jedi business and doesn't want to be bothered. Go back to bed."

"I don't mind none, Obi-Wan," Liam said. "These days I really could use someone to talk to."

"Fine. Keep an eye on him, Liam."

Owen sat down next to Liam and began bombarding him with questions. Liam couldn't really answer most of them, but he tried his best to keep the boy intrigued.

Obi-Wan slipped into his room.

"Uh, Satine, we need to talk about something," he said nervously.

"What, Obi?"

He glanced over at his son asleep in a little bed next to theirs.

"Uh…about Obi-Wan."

"What about him?"

"Um…you see…recent blood tests show that he's a Force-sensitive and I kind of already promised him to the order…so now we need to give him to the man who's here to take him…"

"Obi, he's too young! Can't they wait at least a few months? He's only a month old!"

"I'm sorry, Satine, but it _has _to be now. I know how much you love him, but it's for the greater good."

He reached down and stroked the boy's hair.

"He needs to be a Jedi Knight, just like his Poppa," he said quietly.

Satine sighed.

"No, Obi-Wan," she said. "We'll just be putting him in danger."

"Satine, my parents did it. A lot of parents in the galaxy do it. Nothing ever happened to me, and I promise you, _nothing_ will happen to him."

"You don't know that," Satine said quietly. Both of them sighed.

Lucius had gotten careless, completely disregarding the fact that he was supposed to stay hidden. He was now awkwardly flopped over the window sill, peering into the room and witnessing the argument first hand.

Jeriko looked down at him. _'Time for the most important part,'_ he thought. Jeriko used a spell on Lucius that knocked him out. He then got ready to execute part two of his scheme: body switching.

Lucius blinked furiously.

"Well this is weird," he said. "Wait a minute…why am I speaking with an accent?"

He darted over to a mirror. When he saw himself, he gasped, and almost screamed, but cupped his hand over his mouth. Some idiot had switched his body with Obi-Wan's, and it was _clearly_ no mistake.

"And why the hell am I forty?!"

"Well, Obi, you've been forty for quite some time now," Satine said, reaching over and picking her son up.

Lucius slapped his bearded face several times in disbelief.

"This isn't happening…this isn't happening!"

"What are you talking about?"

Lucius began punching himself in the gut. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

"Obi-Wan! Get a hold of yourself!"

At that point, Lucius realized that there was no way out of the situation, so he just had himself a nice, loud scream of horror and frustration.

"Obi-Wan, relax."

Lucius whipped around. "Relax? You want me to _relax_? How am I supposed to relax when I'm trapped in this body, woman?!" he yelled.

"_Obi-Wan_, the Jedi?"

"Oh yeah. Uh…no. Don't give him to them. That would be stupid."

She gave him a look of disbelief.

"What? You know I change my mind quickly."

"So we're _not_ giving him up?"

"No!"

Lucius leaned in close to her.

"Have I ever told you that you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen?" he said. She gave him a weird look.

"Who are you, and _what _have you done with my husband?"

Lucius laughed a fake, forced laugh and kissed her on the cheek. He could have sworn he heard Alejandro laughing his butt off.

Lucius looked at Satine with the weird face he got when he saw a pretty girl. He could barely breathe, and it was like a dream come true for him. Satine, on the other hand, was beginning to get _really _freaked out.

"So, uh Satine…I was wondering if-"

Before Lucius could finish his sentence, he found himself back in his old body.

"Damn."

Obi-Wan blinked furiously and then turned to look at his wife. "So you're sure?" she asked.

"Yes. They _need_ him."

"Wait a minute…weren't you just saying _not _to give him to them?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Satine! When did I say that?"

"I'm not the one being ridiculous! You are! You _just _said that giving him to them would be stupid!"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know what you _thought_ I said before, but regardless, they _need_ him. Satine, for years – no, _millenniums_ – the Jedi have been prophesizing of a perfect being who would one day bring balance to the Force. And that person just so happens to be our son."

He put his arm around her. His eyes shifted from her to his son.

"Satine," he whispered, "sometimes, the hardest part of loving is learning to let go."

He reached down and touched his son's face.

Satine sighed. "Okay," she said softly. "We will give him to the Jedi."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"He _will_ be safe. I promise you."

_'Great. Just fabulous,' _Jeriko thought. _'This plan went completely the other way.' _

Jeriko paused for a moment and thought as hard as he could. A brand new idea quickly popped into his head. He knew it would be risky, but it would pay off if it worked.

_'Maybe,'_ he thought. _'Just maybe.'_

"Wait here," Obi-Wan said. "I need to go talk to Liam."

He slipped out and went to the room that Liam and Owen were seated in. "Okay," he told the young Jedi.

"Okay _what_?" the boy asked.

Liam nodded, and Obi-Wan sighed.

"Owen, go ask your mother about what's going on. I just don't have the heart to tell you."

Owen jumped off the couch and ran off. Obi-Wan signaled to Liam to get up.

"You will be taking him," he said. "But I must ask something of you, Liam Skywalker."

Liam nodded.

"Strange things have been afoot, Liam. Strange _darkside _type things. This may be a sign of the possible return of the Sith. Because of this, I request that my son, the Chosen One, be placed in the custody of a Jedi master immediately after you return to Coruscant."

"It's never been done before…I guess I'd have to run it by the Council first. But just in case, do you have someone in mind?"

Obi-Wan pensively stroked his chin.

"Actually, I think I do. I think the best person to watch over my son is Qui-Gon Jinn. He was my best friend back when I was a part of the Order. He understood me better than anyone else, so I think he will have a good understanding of my son as well."

"I don't know about him…he's still getting over something real bad."

"What happened?"

"His apprentice, Zhokar Kinning, died in his sleep a few weeks ago. And it was just random. Out of the blue. Jinn says that he got up to use the bathroom while Zhokar was trying to fall asleep, and when he came back out, Zhokar was dead. I don't think he's ready to take a new apprentice yet. Owen, your kid, told me that your other kid was born on the same day Zhokar died."

"When, in hourly terms, did he die?"

"Late at night."

"Really? My son was born at 10:36 that day."

"That's when Jinn found him dead! _Exactly then_! Do you find that creepy at all?"

"It's a sign, Liam. A sign that he is meant to fill the gap in Qui-Gon's heart that Zhokar created."

Liam nodded.

"Okay. I'll try," he said. Liam leaned in close to his old friend.

"I cannot guarantee his safety," he whispered. "Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment and then nodded.

"Agreed. Now, I'd hate to make you wait any longer, so let me just give you the boy."

Jeriko sent a signal out to each man through his comlink.

"Mission abort. Repeat, mission abort."

And in a flash of light, they were gone.

Obi-Wan led Liam into his room.

"Satine, this is Liam. He is the Jedi that will be taking our son."

Satine nodded and handed Obi-Wan the little blue blanket bundle. Obi-Wan bent down and kissed his little son's forehead.

"Good luck, Obi-Wan Malak," he whispered, affectionately nuzzling his nose against the boy's. "Poppa loves you with all his heart. And wherever you go, my love will always be with you."

He handed the sleeping little boy to Liam. Liam nodded in approval.

"I will watch over him, Obi-Wan."

"Come, Liam," he said, leading Liam to the door. Satine followed them. She took her husband's hand, and together they stood, watching their darling son disappear into the night with Liam Skywalker.

Chapter 14:

A New Beginning

Liam Skywalker returned to Coruscant with the boy a few hours later. He dropped the boy off at the place in which the younglings were kept and then dragged himself onward to his bed. But he couldn't fall asleep. As he stared out his window and into the deepest depths of space and the stars, all he could think about was that poor little boy and all the trouble he would cause with the Council the next day.

The next day, Liam went and pled his case to the High Council.

"We have no doubts that this boy is the Chosen One," Ki-Adi-Mundi said, nodding his strangely-shaped head. "But whether or not Master Qui-Gon is ready to take on a second apprentice may be different."

Liam nodded.

"Bring him before us," Mace Windu commanded.

"Yes, master."

Liam bowed to the Council members and went to fetch Qui-Gon.

Jeriko Matthews flashed into the Jedi Temple. He slipped into a small nook so that he wouldn't be seen by the Jedi wandering the halls.

"I sure hope this works," he whispered. He looked out of the dark space and saw the youngest member of the Council, Rancis Drallig, briskly walk by. He stuck his wand out of the thin opening and pointed it at his quickly-moving target.

"Stupefy," Jeriko whispered.

Rancis froze completely and fell unconscious to the floor. Jeriko slipped out of the crack and slunk over to Rancis. He dragged Rancis by the legs over to the nook and ineptly stuffed him into it.

He quickly ripped his wand out of his boot and whispered a shape-shifting spell. Jeriko ran over to a window and stared back at his reflection.

"It worked," he whispered in awe. He now had icy-blond hair with bangs that fell over his eyes. He lifted the hair out of his face to look at his eyes; they were a shade of green that was more vibrant than the leathery skin of a dewback. He shook all the hair out of his eyes and looked back at the thin, dark crack in the wall. He figured no one would find the body of a Jedi master in there.

He shuffled off towards the Council chambers, ready to commence the Sith brotherhood's last hope: sabotage.

Liam Skywalker hurried through the door of the council chamber with Qui-Gon Jinn in tow. Liam nodded in approval and then disappeared just as quickly as he had come.

Jeriko sat in the seat closest to the door.

_'So this is the infamous Qui-Gon Jinn?' _he wondered. _'He looks like a woman with a beard.'_

Jinn bowed to the Council members. Jeriko rolled his eyes.

"Told you about the boy, Skywalker has?" Yoda asked.

Jinn nodded.

"Do you wish to take him as your padawan learner?"

"Well…yes. I believe a new beginning is in order."

Jeriko sighed heavily. This was going down the drain _much_ faster than he had expected.

"Careful, you must be, Master Qui-Gon," Yoda said. "Great danger I sense in this boy's training."

"Danger? But he is the Chosen One! How could training him _possibly_ be dangerous?!"

"Greater powers are at work, Jinn," Jeriko growled gruffly. Every Council member turned to look at Jeriko seated in the corner of the room. "After all, this boy was responsible for Nico Collieslan's death before he was even born. Shouldn't we take this as a sign that he is too dangerous to be trained?"

"Master Drallig makes an excellent point. But on the other hand, this boy may be the missing link to the mystery of the Sith. We may have to take a chance, just this once."

"Jinn," Jeriko grumbled. "Leave us. We will discuss this on our own terms."

As soon as he left, Jeriko shot out of his seat like a rocket.

"I cannot believe you people! Letting a maverick Jedi train the Chosen One, just because the father requested it!" Jeriko shouted. "In fact, I'm surprised that you're even letting him be trained at all! You must remember that Nico Collieslan died from merely _touching_ this boy! That means a great darkness is at work, one _far _greater than we are capable of understanding! By showing him the Force, all we will be doing is nurturing that darkness! He will eventually destroy us all! I believe that this boy should be sent back to where he came from!"

"Once again, you make an excellent point. Go and distract Jinn while we think this through."

"It will be done."

Jeriko walked out of the chamber and chased after Jinn. The two of them walked out on a balcony and engaged in a heated argument.

"The boy is dangerous! He killed a grown man by mere touch!"

"He cannot be dangerous! He is supposed to bring balance to the Force!"

Jeriko walked to the edge and tightly gripped the hand railing, watching the metropolitan planet sparkle and gleam in the fading red light.

"I _will_ train the boy, Master Drallig. With or without the approval of the Council, I might add."

Jeriko narrowed his eyes to slits and tried to focus on not letting his anger get the best of him.

"If you knew any better, you would agree with me," Jinn pressed on.

Jeriko felt his face heating up. He knew what was happening: an uncontrollable shift. And he wasn't about to stop it.

"But who am I kidding? You know nothing of the world," Jinn said, pushing it a little _too_ far.

Jeriko felt his eyes sting, and then he felt an icy, sharp pain. He turned and looked at Jinn with an extremely angry face.

"You listen here, Jinn. If _you_ knew any better, you'd know that training this drunk's son is the damn worst idea this side of the galaxy!"

Qui-Gon stared back at Jeriko with a fearful face. "What happened to your eyes?" he asked nervously.

"_Never_, andI mean _never_, ask me that question again," Jeriko snarled.

He turned swiftly and walked away scowling. Jinn watched him go. _'Perhaps this child is more trouble than he is worth,'_ he thought.

A few hours later, Jinn stood before the High Council again. Jeriko sat back in his seat, thinking rather nasty thoughts.

"So the boy is to be trained?"

The Council was silent for a moment.

"We may regret this at some further date, but yes. You will train him."

Jeriko's heart nearly stopped beating. He slapped his hand over his face and shook his head in grief.

"Caution you must take, Qui-Gon. Train him properly you must. And know of his father or of Nico's death, he must not. Only pain will it bring him. Yes, a hard life he will have. Unhappy, burdened, dejected he will be. _Different_, he will know he is. Question his place, he will. The Chosen One the boy may be, but know of this, he must never. Lead to arrogance and fear, it will."

"Troubled or not, I will love and train him just the same. And I will watch over him with an eye that is both loving and cautious."

"I can't take this anymore!" Jeriko boomed. He got up and strode over to the door. "Curse you! All of you!" Jeriko shot them all nasty looks and took off.

"Your apprentice, young Kenobi is."

"Thank you, masters."

He bowed and left their presence.

Qui-Gon took an elevator up to where the younglings were kept. As the elevator ascended, his mind was racing.

What did he look like? Would raising him be difficult? Did he cry a lot? Was he needy? Was he anything like his father?

His thoughts were interrupted by the elevator's beeps which signaled that he had arrived on the designated floor. He stepped out and walked into a huge room with many doors on the walls. Only two men were in the room. One was snoring as loud as could be on the floor, and the other was sitting in the corner, staring up at a wall clock.

"Maybe if I stare at it, it will move faster," he said quietly.

Qui-Gon cleared his throat, startling the man.

"Oh. Jinn. They gave you clearance, finally?"

"Yes, Liam."

"You still thinking about Zhokar?"

"I try not to."

"Well, this kid is really gonna help you take your mind off of him."

Liam got up and disappeared into another room. He came back out a few minutes later carrying a little blanket bundle.

"This is Obi-Wan Malak ," he said, gently placing the boy down in Qui-Gon's arms. He looked down at the boy.

"He looks just like his father," he said.

Liam nodded.

"Speaking of which, he told me that this little one was born at the exact same time Zhokar died. I think it's a sign."

Qui-Gon felt the boy move a little bit in his arms. He looked down at him again. The little boy was awake now, looking up at him with his huge blue eyes. Liam looked at Obi-Wan.

"He's probably hungry. Here," he said, handing Jinn a bottle. He put the bottle to the boy's mouth and the boy began drinking from it, his eyes growing heavy. Jinn suddenly felt a deep surge of love.

"Did you already do a braid?" Qui-Gon asked. Liam nodded.

"Look behind his right ear."

He did as Liam told him, and sure enough, there was a tiny little stump of hair with a piece of blue string tied around it.

"He has this real weird scar on his arm," Liam said. "It's a triangle with a line running through it and a circle in the middle. I _would_ say it's a tattoo, but _really_, who would tattoo a newborn?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. The boy had fallen asleep again. He handed Liam the half-empty bottle and began gently stroking the boy's hair.

"So I guess you're not gonna be getting sleep for a while, right?" Liam laughed.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"Do it for Zhokar," Liam said, smiling his weird smile.

Qui-Gon sighed. "I really do miss him."

"I do, too. But he's passed on into the Force; he's in a better place. Now, he's finally at peace. Remember how peaceful he looked at the funeral? That's because when you're dead, you're _free_. That's what he always used to tell me."

It was silent between the two of them as Jinn tried to enjoy his first moments with the boy.

"I'm sure Zhokar would be happy to see you moving on," Liam said, breaking the silence.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"You're probably right."

He looked down at his new apprentice once more.

"Thank you, Liam. Have a good night."

"You too, Qui-Gon. Enjoy your little one."

Qui-Gon walked through the freezing night air to get back to his quarters. He could feel the little boy shivering in his arms, and he felt terrible that the baby boy was freezing to death while he was wearing a warm cloak. He tried holding the boy closer to his body, but that didn't seem to work, so he tucked him under a flap of his nice, warm cloak.

The boy slept with his ear pressed against Jinn's chest, his master's heartbeat a steady and calming beacon to him. Qui-Gon looked down at the small boy through the folds of his wooly cloak.

_'You will bring balance to the Force, my very young padawan,'_ he thought. _'You will.'_

Jeriko Matthews poked his head around a building corner, watching Qui-Gon Jinn walk away holding his new apprentice. Jeriko sat wrapped up in perhaps the nastiest, angriest thought in the history of the galaxy.

Jeriko felt his Horcrux scar burn, but quickly brushed the pain off and continued to think deeply. He shook his head in grief and internal disappointment. But he decided not to beat himself up over it, at least not this time.

His thoughts then transitioned back to the moment.

'_I will watch you, Obi-Wan Malak Kenobi,' _he thought. _ 'And if there is a battle between us, I will win.'_

About the Author

J.E. Max began her writing career in the sixth grade. She started working on _The Five _in very early 2013, when the idea "just popped into her head". The first part of _The Five_ was later published in November of 2013. In addition to writing fan fictions, Ms. Max enjoys playing basketball and volleyball. She lives in Florida with her family.


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